Blowing up the forum lately, apologies, puppy training question.

[oitnb]

So I'm getting a beautiful three and half month old pit bull puppy tomorrow!

 

Now, I want to be very strict about how I train her. I have two shi tzus, and they can be snappy sometimes, but I let it go because how much damage can a tzu do? But a snappy pit bull? Big no no. I want to be very upfront on my training with her.

 

Tips?

[metrogirl]

Personally i wouldn't get a dog of that caliber with two dogs that are snappy. It's a recipe for disaster.

[oitnb]

Personally i wouldn't get a dog of that caliber with two dogs that are snappy. It's a recipe for disaster.

 

They're not dog aggressive... They occasionally get snappy with people if we're teasing them ect.

 

Never once have they snapped at another dog.

[agent1607307371]

I never understand why people don't train small dogs - they have teeth just like any other dog and will be subject to the same rules if they bite someone.

[mhowe]

They're not dog aggressive... They occasionally get snappy with people if we're teasing them ect.

 

Never once have they snapped at another dog.

 

I would "suggest" you don't "tease" the pit bull.

[bulletproof]

First thing to do is stop teasing your other dogs, and stop letting them get away with biting in general. Dogs feed off of each other- generally, any puppy is going to model its behavior on the other dogs in the home.

[oitnb]

I never understand why people don't train small dogs - they have teeth just like any other dog and will be subject to the same rules if they bite someone.

 

I know I know... We got them when I was young so my parents did most of the training "/

[oitnb]

First thing to do is stop teasing your other dogs, and stop letting them get away with biting in general. Dogs feed off of each other- generally, any puppy is going to model its behavior on the other dogs in the home.

 

Will do! I guess we do let them get away with it. It's all good fun when it's a 15 pound dog but yeah, I see the ramifications of letting them get away with it. Thanks for the tip.

[Snny]

I hope you have done a lot of research on pit bulls, plus are getting one from a reputable breeder with dogs who have well-mannered temperaments. I personally would not bring a Pit in a home with smaller dogs who are "snappy." Even if they have not been snappy around other dogs, you don't 100% know how they will react when you bring a strange dog to live in THEIR territory. I had a small dog who never attacked any dog off the street... but when I moved to my rents, he suddenly got into fights with their dog (over food, bones, treats). Pits have a VERY strong prey drive since they were bred as hunting dogs. Many pits DO NOT get along with smaller animals because of their instincts- you cannot fully train instincts out of a dog.

 

Besides that, don't leave your dog unsupervised with the other dogs until he is well trained and out of puppyhood.

[Janeiac]

Advice: stop teasing your little dogs right now, and also stop allowing them to snap at anyone or anything, ever. If you do not stop, they will teach these behaviours to the new puppy. It won't go well for the little ones when the big one grows up and is fed up with their poor behaviour.

Also, you should sign up for obedience classes now.

[Janeiac]

PS "pit bull" is not a breed, it's a bunch of differnt breeds of the type once bred to fight in a pit in medieval blood sports. They were not bred for hunting. Someone, somewhere may have hunted with them, but this was not their purpose.

They later became all-around farm dogs, guarding and protecting the family and other animals and killing vermin and foxes.

 

They are all-around sweet and biddable dogs, and the bad press around them is relatively recent and mostly wrong. Years ago they were called "nanny dogs" because they would watch out for a family's young children.

 

Do your training and it will be fine.

[Mesemene]

Positive motivation works.

 

Consistency, short training sessions (5-10 minutes tops) and tons of praise and a treat whenever she gets it right.

 

And yes, get your shi's into obedience classes, or your pup, as she grows, will pick up on the lack of leadership and walk all over you. While pits are even tempered in general with people - they can be dog aggressive. And they, like most breeds with terrier or guard breed background, can be independent thinkers and stubborn if they're left partially trained.

 

Start training asap. And even when she's mastered commands, short sessions at least a few times a week to reinforce the positive reaction to her "performing" correctly will keep her sharp.

 

A strong 40 pound or more dog that chooses when to listen and when not to will not be a welcome guest anywhere.

 

You'll also want some tough toys, and something like a tether ball or flirt pole to burn off some of that puppy energy.